On 23 October, the 2024 TVET Exchange Trip to Guangdong, jointly initiated by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), was launched back-to-back with the ASEAN-China TVET Exchanges Session at the Guangdong Polytechnic of Water Resources and Electric Engineering in Guangzhou. Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ACC, Deputy Secretary General Ms. An Yan of the CEAIE and Ms. Wu Yanling from Education Department of Guangdong Province addressed the launching ceremony. The officials in charge of education affairs from the Embassies of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in Beijing, and representatives of ten TVET colleges in Guangdong Province were present. 

Shi Zhongjun stressed that vocational education, as a key component of ASEAN-China educational cooperation, plays a crucial role in promoting employment and entrepreneurship, supporting economic growth and social progress, and enhancing the well-being of the peoples. Both AMS and China place great importance on establishing a modern vocational education system and are speeding up the efforts in cultivating high-quality talents with technical expertise. The program launched in Guangdong presents promising prospects for collaboration in the future. The ACC will continue to advance such cooperation in vocational education and other related sectors under the framework of ASEAN-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges, which will add more strength to the advancement of ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership while fostering an even closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

An Yan reiterated the CEAIE’s commitment to further promoting closer ASEAN-China education cooperation through its existing flagship programs. Wu Yanling looked forward to such exchanges better helping ASEAN diplomats understand the comparative advantages and development trends of vocational education in Guangdong and consolidate the basis for future cooperation. 

AMS diplomats briefed the participants on the vocational education development in their home countries, shared cases of cooperation with China, and elaborated on the actual demands for cooperation with China amid the challenges that the TVET sector faces. The representatives from the higher education institutes in Guangdong shared their practice in conducting vocational education, discipline development, integration among industry, education and research, as well as successful cases in initiating programs and building platforms for promoting international vocational cooperation. They expressed the hope to maintain connections with AMS and work together toward delivering concrete TVET cooperation programs. Both sides also engaged in group discussions about coupling TVET curriculum system, faculty training, aligning vocational education with regional economic growth, exploring future cooperation models, and identifying demands for practical cooperation. 

During their stay in Guangdong, the visitors will pay field visits to some TVET colleges and high-tech enterprises in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, to learn about the experience and best practice of resource optimization, talent training, school-enterprise integration, and enhancing international education on TVET in Guangdong.